


courage, dear heart

by kay_emm_gee



Series: the kids aren't alright (The 100 tumblr prompts) [96]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Divergent Fusion, Divergent AU, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-29
Updated: 2016-05-29
Packaged: 2018-07-11 01:05:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7018726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kay_emm_gee/pseuds/kay_emm_gee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clarke made a leap of faith when she chose Dauntless, and now she'll have to make another, this time a literal one. </p>
<p>{ Prompt: 'If you read the books/ like the overall idea, would you be interested in writing a the 100 Divergent AU?' }</p>
            </blockquote>





	courage, dear heart

Clarke’s teeth rattled even as the train car slowed upon their approach into Dauntless. The building tops–old factories and storehouses–were close enough to reach out and touch. If she tried, she would no doubt scrape her palm raw, at the speed they were going.

“Holy shit,” the dark, shaggy-haired boy beside her–Monty, from Amity, she thought–breathed. Her own breath caught when she looked up and saw what had shocked him.

The Dauntless kids ahead of them on the train were leaping out of the car onto a rooftop where three black-clad figures were standing. There was no fear or hesitation in their movements. A literal leap of faith–that had that much trust in their own abilities to survive the jump. And why wouldn’t they? They were raised to laugh at terror, to conquer weakness, to wear bravery like a second skin.

She glanced at Monty as her pulse began to rush in her ears. Their turn was coming; she knew what would happen if they didn’t jump. Neither of them had been raised with that kind of fearlessness.

They didn’t have another viable choice. Without a second thought, she grabbed Monty’s hand and pushed off at the same time as she did. The landing was rough, breaking them apart. Her shoulder hit the metal rooftop painfully as she rolled out of her jump. After a minute of catching her breath, she staggered to her feet and then slowly made her way over to the waiting huddle of initiates.

The Dauntless trainers were already speaking, loud and brash. With their tattoos and piercings and fierce glares, they no doubt were meant to be intimidating. Clarke wondered if she should be cowing under their act, as most of the other non-Dauntless initiates were. Something about their arrogant racket made her tip her chin up higher though. The tall blonde-haired leader noticed her and grinned coldly. With a quick jerk of his fingers, he beckoned her forward. She froze, for the first time unsure of her decision to stand out.

Monty hissed at her to step forward, but it wasn’t until he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze that she found the courage to do so. The initiates hushed as she passed them, a few looking sympathetic but most looking amused, some even cruelly so.

“So. Seems like we have our first volunteer.”

The woman standing next to him rolled her eyes. “Really, Dax?”

“What? Who better to prove herself than this Abnegation bi–”

“What am I volunteering for?” Clarke interrupted in a clear, vicious voice.

Dax chuckled coldly before sweeping his arm out over the inner ledge behind him. “First entrance into your new home.”

A breeze swept around Clarke as she peered over the edge, and she shivered, but it wasn’t from the cold. The hole below–dark and wide, like a monster’s mouth–had her swallowing in preparation. She had already guessed what she was going to have to do.

Turning on her heel, she shed her grey overshirt, leaving her in just a white tank. She chucked her discarded top forcefully at Dax’s face, causing him to grunt in disapproval. A few of the initiates snickered, and the woman next to Dax outright laughed.

“Seems she might not have made the wrong choice after all,” she remarked.

Clarke ignored her, ignored everyone as she climbed up to balance on the ledge. Before she could think to much about it, she jumped.

A scream left her, spiraling into the yards of air that sped past her. Her hair whipped into her eyes. Her cheeks burned. Her stomach dropped, much in the same way as when she had moved her sliced palm over the burning coals instead of the cool grey stones. The same kind of adrenaline rush, the same kind of sickening high.

She screamed again when she hit the net in the darkness below. It turned into a laugh as she bounced, limbs flailing wildly. By the time she was able to control her body and her voice again, someone was pulling on the edge of the net. Clarke rolled down until her feet hit the floor. Unexpectedly, her legs started to collapse beneath her, but strong arms caught her.

“Better get used to that feeling.”

Clarke looked up into a smirking, freckled face. “What feeling?”

“That you were going to die, but didn’t. You also better learn to stand on your own.”

Scowling, she pushed him away. Her legs trembled, but they held her.

“So I wouldn’t have pegged you to be the first jumper.”

“Bet you wouldn’t have pegged me to survive it either,” she snapped.

That surprised a gruff laugh out of him. “What’s your name?”

She paused, because if she gave her name, anyone down here would know she was the daughter of the Abnegation leader, the one who had ruffled so many of the other Factions’ feathers. The boy looked at her curiously.

“If you don’t give yourself a name, we’re going to do it for you. I’m thinking Princess has a good–”

“Clarke,” she interrupted loudly. “My name is Clarke.”

His mouth stayed impassive but his eyes twinkled in amusement. “I’m Bellamy. Now move along so you don’t get crushed by the next jumper if they miss their mark.”

She managed a wan smile as she limped forward into the hallway that led to the inner sanctum.

“Oh, and Clarke?” She turned, watching him over her shoulder. “Welcome to Dauntless.”

Nodding once, Clarke felt something warm flare up inside of her, something that felt a lot like coming home.


End file.
